As the rain and snow

“Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’  And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. The Lord said to Moses.., ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.'” Numbers 20:10-12

“Now [Jesus] took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.  And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,  who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” Luke 9:28-31

Moses, in all of his hard obedience, wilderness walking, and deep communion with God, had dishonored Him at the rock, and he would bear the consequences. It seems a harsh punishment for one who led Israel faithfully for so many years, but God would not be mocked. The honor of His holiness took precedence over His friend’s happiness. But Jesus also redeems, and Moses’ presence at Jesus’s transfiguration in the promised land, centuries after his death, is evidence of the lavish grace of God. (Exodus 33:11; Galatians 6:7)

Foolish in rebel thoughts and impertinent impulses, we too are destined to wander, exempt from God’s holy heaven. But because the Lord Jesus made a way to usher us into God’s presence forever, we too will make it, by grace through faith, to Him. Sins bring internal and external consequences, but if we are in Christ, not eternal. (John 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9)

We may be suffering from past sins, personally committed or done against us, over which God has worked conviction and forgiveness. We may carry deep regret or painful, even if fading, scars. Some agonies are hard to shrug off, even when we know the Lord’s cleansing and redeeming love. Turning from difficulties we wrestle with to the Lord Jesus who wrestles on our behalf ameliorates our perspective. God’s promised land is certain, and He appears in glory to meet us in every situation. Eternal separation from all sin’s fallout is our sure hope. (Psalm 32:1-2; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:1; Revelation 22:1-5,14)

Where are we making our dwelling? Are we wallowing with dread and without hope in a desert of regrets, missed opportunities, foolish actions we cannot retrieve or undo? Or will we go to our Savior on the heights, intent on His glorious presence and provision? Every strike of the rock by way of thoughtless gesture, grave immorality, or coddled sin habit, He has covered by His grace-blood, and we are free to draw nigh. If we believe His promise, what difference is it making today?

“O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~Robert Robinson (1758)

Amen, to Your honor and praise.

“From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour… Jesus cried out with a loud voice,.. ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?..’ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit…

“There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.”

“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.  There was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow… [He] said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said… Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him…’ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.” Matthew 27:45-46,50,55-56; 28:1-3,5-9

The women who had faithfully followed and actively ministered to Jesus during His public ministry did not stop caring at His death. They watched Him at the crucifixion as He lovingly tended to others until His last breath. As soon as possible after the Sabbath, they went to His tomb, and in the continuance of their caring, were blessed by His appearance. Had they given up in sorrow and moved on into a more ordinary life, they would have missed the joy of His glory and presence in the keeping on.

A natural desire to control our environment and tendency to impatience lead to limited caring about others. When my emotions get pulled, when it’s convenient for my schedule, or it serves my interest or benefit, I can care a lot. In fact, it feels good to care, and I like the strokes I get in return. But if caring requires me to relinquish control of my managed life, or my sympathetic feelings fade, or the situation drags on and intrudes on my sense of order or disrupts my comfort, my benevolence can wane. The measure of our care for others reveals much about our selfishness, pride, and greed.

The Lord’s example and call are to keep caring for the long haul. Love as He has loved us. Spend what He has entrusted to us for the sake of others. In God’s economy, love has no limits, nor compassion a hard stop. (Luke 23:39-43; John 13:1,34; 19:25-27)

Are we more prone to one-time kindnesses than to making long-term investments in ongoing needs? What personal agendas and comforts preclude our making ourselves available? Does desire for autonomy or fear of missing something else curtail genuine compassion? How willing are we to care as Jesus does? What will we do regularly to uphold, encourage, pray with, practically help, and attentively love others?

Faithful Lord, help me deeply and consistently care for those You put in my life, reflecting Your grace, love, and generosity.

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more…
But the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in abundant peace.

The wicked plots against the righteous
    and gnashes his teeth at him,
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he sees that his day is coming…
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
    and their heritage will remain forever;
they are not put to shame in evil times;
    in the days of famine they have abundance.

But the wicked will perish;
    the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like smoke they vanish away…

Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you dwell forever.
For the Lord loves justice;
    he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land
    and dwell upon it forever…

Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on when the wicked are cut off…

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.” Psalm 37:1-13,17-20,27-29,34,39-40

David’s words- vivid, convicting, convincing, imploring- come from personal experience. He knows himself and his God, and in weakness takes great strength from God’s promises and trustworthiness. He has obviously struggled with the envy, feisty desire for revenge, and fretting he denounces. His honest, urgent message is as much for himself as for those who would read it: Fret not! Forsake wrath! Trust God!

It is healthy to urge ourselves and others in faith and uprightness. Preaching truth redirects emotions and fortifies the soul, and singing lifts the heart to focus on the Lord.

Where am I jealous of others, stewing in comparisons or wrestling with judgments? What advantages do I covet? Where am I taken up with looking to my sides with angst rather than up in gratitude? Of what promises does my flagging heart need reminding, and how will I take action? When am I repeating truth and encouragement to myself and others, and what difference is it making?

Lord, turn any fretting to committed trust and delight in You.

“I am the man who has seen affliction
    under the rod of his wrath;
he has driven and brought me
    into darkness without any light;
surely against me he turns his hand
    again and again the whole day long.

He has made my flesh and skin waste away;
    he has broken my bones;
he has besieged and enveloped me
    with bitterness and tribulation…

Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
    the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
    and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
    ‘therefore I will hope in him.’

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord…

For the Lord will not
    cast off forever,
but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men…
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?
Why should a living man complain…
   about the punishment of his sins?

Let us test and examine our ways,
    and return to the Lord!
Let us lift up our hearts and hands
    to God in heaven:
‘We have transgressed and rebelled,
    and you have not forgiven…’

I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit;
you heard my plea…
You came near when I called on you;
    you said, ‘Do not fear!’

You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
    you have redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:1-5,19-26,31-33,38-42,55-58

From the midst of his agony, the prophet understood both the wrath and mercy of God. Everything happened as a result of His sovereign initiative, for His redemptive purposes and glory. The sufferer was indeed afflicted, but divine cause could rightly receive no blame. It was Israel’s rebellion that invited the strange work of punishment from the Holy One. Languishing, he was shown love; in cruel pain, compassion. The words of these soul wanderings woven with the balm of hope are at the ready for all who would read and listen. (Isaiah 28:21-22)

Blessing upon blessing we receive in gladness, accustomed to ease and goodness. We come to think we deserve each favor and have a right to every enjoyment. In comfort and prosperity we forget from whose mouth and hand they come, betraying their benevolent source. Self-worth inflates, hearts calcify. Grace denied is God defied is idolatry tried. God will not be mocked. (Galatians 6:7-8)

With warped thinking, we blame God for our discipline, blind to personal culpability. Even owning mistakes, we fault others. But the Lord holds individuals accountable for everything done in the flesh. His harsh judgment convicts, turns us to His mercy, and effects ultimate redemption. (Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 12:5-7)

Am I so broken and bowed that I see not my sin? Where am I blaming God for judgment rather than owning up to my guilt? Where have I received balm in the midst of His refining?

Father, help me take honest blame for the discipline I deserve, and ever sing with hope.

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—  each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:7-15

The Lord God had trained Paul to think rightly about ministry. Owning a natural inclination to pride, and aware of his religious and educational advantages, a grace-bought Paul knew that all came from Christ and returned all praise to Christ in light of His cross. He had much he could have boasted, but was driven by and focused on one thing alone: Jesus. Jesus proclaimed, Jesus crucified, Jesus glorified, known, and magnified. His every effort, once redeemed, was an accounting rooted in and built on the cause and power of his Savior. Any toil Paul invested was for His sake and the sake of those who would be eternally affected. (Acts 22:3; Romans 9:4-5; Philippians 3:4-8)

God cares about our work from the inside out. He frees us to employ our time and talent for His kingdom, and fiercely cares about our why and how. Since He is the One who assigns grace and gifts and makes effective and fruitful what we invest, our reward is based on how we handle what we’ve been entrusted. Thoughtful contributing and building with our best honors Him who is worthy.

Jealousy, strife, any kind of competition or comparison have no place in doing God’s work. Concern for notice or credit is an indication of sour motives, which the loving Lord can correct. Effort expended on the cheap or out of greed the Lord disdains, but can redeemed. His reward is a most gracious byproduct of work done for Him, tested and true.

How aligned are my mission motives with God’s for the world? What would the testing of my work for Him reveal?

“All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my being’s ransomed pow’rs,
all my thoughts and words and doings,
all my days and all my hours.

Let my hands perform his bidding,
let my feet run in his ways;
let my eyes see Jesus only,
let my lips speak forth his praise.

Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
so enchained my spirit’s vision,
looking at the Crucified.” ~Mary D. James (1810-1883)

Lord, purify my motives in all things to see You exalted and make You known.

“Jacob said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, “Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,” I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.  Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.  But you said, “I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude…”‘

“The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.  He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.  And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.  When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.  Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’  And he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’  Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’  Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him.  So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.” Genesis 32:9-12,22-31

Jacob, from birth, was a wild filly in need of spiritual breaking, and God steadfastly did His work. About to return to his land with the children who would become Israel’s twelve tribes, Jacob had a crisis of fear. Casting himself on God in confession and dependence, he encountered the Sovereign in a pivotal wrestling of soul. God would have His way with His chosen, who would come out with a lifelong reminder hip limp.

Every whack and rub of familial dissension, callous deception, unjust cheating, and facing fears were used of God to humble and shape His man. Still today, there is pain in being broken, but from there issues the Spirit’s power to transform and sanctify. Do we prevail in wrestling until we know who God is there, and taste His blessing? What uncertainties, insecurities, and angst will we leave with God today?

Our Savior Jesus wrestled with His Father, and was broken for us on Calvary. By weakness and death He ushered in strength and life for us, His beloved children. Have we grasped the extent of His sacrifice? Will we cling until we know His benediction? What causes refusal to submit to His loving intrusion to work in soul and Spirit? (Luke 22:41-44)

Lord, help me wrestle rightly and learn fully so I live powerfully, for Your sake and glory.

“And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.’  Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.  But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.  And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” Acts 15:36-41

The Jerusalem council, after much debate and prayer, ended amicably penning a letter with Spirit-led conclusions that several disciples delivered. So when Paul proposed to Barnabas they continue traveling to check in on other churches, it seems strange that they had such sharp disagreement. Hadn’t the council all come to a unified conclusion? Hadn’t these two traveled to and ministered together in Antioch? Didn’t they have a singular motive to biblically counsel and strengthen the church? (Acts 15:22-35)

When we step back and see that they did indeed fortify the churches, each going in a different direction, we glimpse how God strengthens us in order to strengthen others. Paul and Barnabas divided, each taking with him another who would watch and learn and work alongside him. Each leader carried the experience of having weighed options and coming to a compromised conclusion based on the Spirit’s leading. Each one had strong opinions, and learned that not all people see things the same way. God used these experiences to develop their own gifting and dependence on Him, and equipped them to handle such situations they’d find among the varied congregations. God knows the plans and work He has for us, and weaves through our life experiences what we need for what He knows is ahead, and what He expects of us and those we shepherd. (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Timothy 4:11-16)

What is God training, or teaching me about Himself or myself, in my present turmoil, testy relationships, or work assigned, that I might employ in the future? With what challenges am I trusting His lead? Am I learning to listen better, to accommodate different opinions, to mediate between argumentative loved ones, to bring prudent consensus? How have situations and lessons from my past served me well in the present? Can I look back with gratitude and willingly continue to learn today for what’s ahead?

God presents many opportunities in our different areas of daily life to learn from Him and others. By prayer, we can be keen to His Spirit and attune our senses to take in and glean from these experiences. He graciously and strategically strengthens us in order to use us to strengthen others in His church. Are we willing to submit to the training so we’re most effective? How are we putting to use what He has instilled in us to build up those less experienced, or weaker in faith or understanding? Are we looking for and taking opportunities to encourage Christ’s church?

Father, keep me flexible, teachable, and eager to pass along from Your bounty for the good of Your Body and glory of Your name.

“I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning…

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” Psalm 30:1-5,11-12

David knew the deliverance and favor of the Lord, from first anointing through many dangers, toils, and snares. He knew the sorrow that accompanied deception, betrayal, and loss, the exhaustion of dogged pursuit and battle. He knew that being beaten down left nowhere to look but up, that bereft silence was impetus for crying out. Hard experience and fluxing emotion were no stranger to this man after God’s heart, the divine heart that knew every one in full. Neither was continual praise, praise to that victorious One who through it all gave the promise of joy and gladness. (Psalm 31:10-14; John 11:35)

Every deliverance of our Lord, small or great, is an expression and instilling of hope. It is His loving nudge that lifts our head, His prompt that turns desperation to dependence. God’s ears bent to our prayers are meant to remind us that He is nigh, and His endings are gracious and good. He faithfully remains, and works in every tear and moment for our good. He keeps in perfect peace those who trust and pray. Yes, weeping may endure, but for a limited time, and joy in the morning is as certain as the sun will rise. (Psalm 3:3; Isaiah 26:3; Romans 8:28)

What is our resolve, weary souls? Have we made melancholy our way of life, shedding measureless tears our resignation? Do we oft repeat the anger and mourning we’ve become accustomed to, or turn it over to the freedom, gladness, and song God will fully restore? Can we look beyond, and upward, and grip the hope that He is? Will we extol Him, recounting His draw, His grace-bought salvation, with gladness? Will we plead, remembering His past healing and restoration and counting on it again? What hinders our giving thanks to Him forever?

“What language shall I borrow
to thank Thee, dearest Friend,
for this, Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever!
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for Thee.” ~Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Words give me to extol Thee
my Victor, Savior, Praise
for You I lift my voice,
Your exaltation raise!
Tho weeping damps the shadows,
Your joy with morning comes.
Clothe me with thankful gladness
for You, most Worthy One. (PEB)

Father, help me live, even in dark times, rejoicing in You with a morning countenance and glad praise, for Your glory.

“In the first year of Darius… I, Daniel,… turned my face to the Lord, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules… To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame… because of the treachery committed against you… To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him.

“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city… O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. We do not present our pleas because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not,  for your own sake.” Daniel 9:1-5,7,9,16,18-19

Daniel could have spent his exile in a strange land with a strange tongue in resentment, misbehavior, and complaining. He could have squandered what the Lord had given as an opportunity for great growth and witness. Instead, he invested where God had planted him for as long as that season would be. With concerted commitment, he made the most of spiritual and civil life for the good of his alien city. The Lord gave him favor and position, and from his unique position and vantage point, he made an eternal difference by leadership and prayer. (Daniel 2:48-49; 5:29; 6:10)

We are all spiritual exiles. With strife, division, and negativity peppering societies, it’s easy to sequester ourselves, live provincially, and become myopic. We stick with our people, comforts, safe places, and want nothing to do with those outside our small circle of likeminded friends. We resent the harsh places God puts us, and nurse our right to relief and ease. We grow callous and uncaring about our city, community, and nation. (1 Peter 2:11)

But God has assigned our boundaries so we would know Him deeply and out loud. Sometimes He plants us seemingly in exile in hard work situations, new towns, neighborhoods foreign to what we’ve always known, for His purposes. He calls us to faithfulness, giving great opportunity to grow in our understanding of His heart for the world and to spread His Spirit and gospel light in the dark. (Acts 17:21)

Are we prone to separate spiritual life from public industry and community involvement? Do we keep Sunday in a box and devotional life at home, never sowing God’s Spirit into our broader world? How much do we care for the people where we live and work? How do we show it? How large is our heart for the world around us, evidenced in how wide and consistent our prayers?

How will we afresh seek the welfare of our city? How are we investing in workplaces, communities, culture, individuals with the gospel? How regularly do we intercede for our leaders, and involve ourselves in service? What revival and joy of the Lord might we help usher in by His grace? (Jeremiah 29:7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Lord, keep me praying for and compassionately involved in the world where You’ve placed me.

“You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.”

“And he called the people to him and said to them, ‘Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person…’ Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?  But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.’” Matthew 12:34-35; 15:10-11,17-20a

The Pharisees had a knack for talking the talk. Pompous and polished, they were persnickety about rules and had eyes keen on catching anything that went against their prescription for righteousness. But Jesus saw through their religious veneer to the poison in their prideful hearts, and addressed what they could not with long robes hide from the God-man. (Matthew 12:1-8)

It is nice to be able to hide secrets sins in the closets and corners of our hearts, until we can’t. Our tongues are a dead giveaway to the putrid impulses and decay that lie within. Out of our hearts comes ugliness beyond even our realizing we were capable of, and once the spigot has opened, there’s no taking back. Unbridled anger, hurtful criticism, crass words, derogatory insults, all flow from hearts rigid with pride, deceit, and discontent. When this occurs, be warned. These are only an outward mimicking of deeper and greater darkness within.

The beautiful thing about Jesus’s teaching and grand exposés of the heart is that He never leaves us there. He provides the antidote, and with mercy invites us to take it. His Spirit brings sin to light and conviction to bear out in honest confession. In grace He extricates what we denounce, purifying and redirecting our long-held habits. Our cooperation is required in this sanctifying process, but He perseveres with us to make us holy. (Leviticus 20:7,26; 1 Peter 1:16)

What sins have we tucked away and fondled and excused by blaming others for far too long? What sarcasm, hatred, unkindness, or malice resides within and occasionally spurts out in ugliness to alert our spiritual senses? What fetishes or fantasies, what coveting or bitterness, do we justify as innocuous and invisible, but actually manifest themselves when we least expect? When will we tend to that blot, name it for what it is, and once for all put it away? And if we have harmed another by our heart filth, what need we do today to bring repair?

“Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” ~Charlotte Elliot (1836)

Father, remove from my heart any errant attitude or poison so You alone reign.